Siege of Charleston

The Siege of Charleston (29 March-12 May 1780) was a major battle of the American Revolutionary War. In the first major battle of the American South campaign of 1780-83, the British captured the vital port city of Charleston, South Carolina, and 3,371 American troops surrendered to the British in one of the worst American defeats of the war.

After the Crown's failure to defeat the revolution in New England, British commander-in-chief Henry Clinton decided to shift the war to the South, where many Americans remained loyal to King George III. In 1780, Clinton sailed south from New York City with 100 ships and 8,500 troops, with his objective being the largest and wealthiest American city south of Philadelphia, Charleston. The American general Benjamin Lincoln had only half as many men, and Charleston, situated on a peninsula, was easy to surround.

After nineteen days of bombardment, trapped by the royal army, and blockaded by the Royal Navy, Lincoln called a council of war to discuss a withdrawal. The city fathers were vehemently opposed, putting a stop to all thoughts of an evacuation. On 9 May, a furious cannonade erupted between the two armies, and mortar shells crossed and exploded long into the night. The constant pounding took its toll, and, three days later, the surrounded Lincoln surrendered. Clinton's terms were humiliating, as the rebels were declined the honors of the war; they could not march out with flags flying and drums beating. At 11:00 AM on 12 May, the Continentals laid down their muskets, and 5,466 Americans, including General Lincoln, became prisoners of war in America's largest surrender to a foreign army until the battle of Bataan during World War II.